Years
by Awesomesauce
Summary: Edgeworth's relationship with Phoenix has been going perfectly for three years. However, on the day Edgeworth decides to go all the way, Phoenix refuses to even touch Edgeworth. It turns out that Phoenix has AIDS. A response to a Kink Meme request.
1. Chapter 1

Three years it has been.

_Three years it has been..._ Edgeworth thought as he looked at the picture of him and a familiar spiky-haired defense attorney, a picture which he always kept hidden deep within the key-locked drawer of his bureau. Three years it has been, on that very same day, that the same defense attorney stepped up to him after a heated battle in court, said three infamous words, and kissed him. Although Edgeworth knows that almost all of his subordinates already know about their relationship after he and Phoenix walked out of court hand in hand, he still keeps the picture locked up in his desk drawer as if it was a secret.

It had been three years of fights, and make-ups after fights. Three years of going out for dinner in five-star restaurants and in Phoenix's case, fastfood chains. Three years of enduring Phoenix's occasional comments on his wardrobe. Three years of warm kisses, watching Steel Samurai re-runs on Tuesday nights, and three years of stolen kisses in public.

Three years of sleeping together, but in the literal sense, because the only thing he and Phoenix hadn't done all those three years was sex. Edgeworth, who was used to being alone all his life, was rather afraid of getting very intimate, and as much as he let Phoenix get close to him, he never had sex with him. Edgeworth made it a point that if they truly loved each other, they wouldn't need sex. Phoenix was a tad bit disappointed at first, but determined to prove his love for Edgeworth, he eventually agreed to take things slowly. They had a whole lifetime to spend, after all.

Three years, Edgeworth realized, was a long time, and he knew that three years was enough.

After putting the picture back in the drawer, he dialed Phoenix's number.

"Hello, this is Wright and Co. Law Offices. Phoenix Wright speaking."

"Wright."

Phoenix didn't sound too enthusiastic. "Oh hey, Miles. What's up?"

"Are you closing at the office? I just have to finish some work. I'll drive by your office to pick you up once I"m done, but don't worry, it won't take that long."

"Oh...okay."

"Something the matter, Wright?"

"N-no, nothing at all. I have to go now. I guess I'll see you tonight."

Edgeworth heard a click as Phoenix hung up the phone.

Edgeworth noticed that Phoenix had been acting very strangely recently. Was Phoenix hiding something, or was he losing interest in him?

But before he could think about it any further, his thoughts dispersed as his secretary came knocking on the office door.


	2. Chapter 2

To celebrate their third-year anniversary, Edgeworth had spent a lot of effort in planning and preparing a candlelight dinner for himself and Phoenix, despite his busy schedule. Phoenix was always the one who took the initiative in taking him out to dinner on the day of their anniversary, but after last year's dinner celebration which yielded disastrous results, Edgeworth took matters into his own hands. Edgeworth had been thinking of just going to a fancy restaurant to celebrate, but seeing Phoenix's dejected mood lately, he decided to go on a more thoughtful and personal approach.

_And besides, I'm finally going to allow him to sleep with me so might as well make it special,_ Edgeworth thought.

After a delectable dinner which made Phoenix worship Edgeworth's excellent cooking skills, Edgeworth placed a small, gift-wrapped box on the table.

Phoenix's mouth fell open.

"Don't worry, Wright, it's not a ring." Edgeworth said, his eyes glimmered with excitement when the saw the astonished look on Phoenix's face. "Open the box."

When Phoenix opened the box, utter surprise was marked on his face as he held a keychain with a key dangling in the air. The keychain was made of shiny silver and in the shape of the letters P and W--Phoenix's initials--connected together. At the back of the keychain, engraved were the words: _To P, love M_.

"Those are the keys to my...my house. I had them duplicated a couple of days ago." Edgeworth uttered nervously, his mind seemingly out of words. He never knew confessing one's feelings was such a hard thing to do. With Wright being the more forward person of them two, Edgeworth wondered how Phoenix always mananges to easily declare his love for him. "Wright, I've decided that perhaps three years is enough, and thus I am determined to...to let our relationship...advance further."

Edgeworth expected Phoenix to jump around in glee or to embrace him or at least do _something_, but Phoenix just sat there, staring at the key. Phoenix's face didn't even have a trace of happiness in it. "Is there something wrong, Wright?"

"I-I'm just shocked, that's all."

Edgeworth stood up and took a step towards Phoenix. "I noticed you've been acting so strange lately. What on earth is _wrong_ with y--"

"--Miles, don't go any closer."

However, ever the concerned Edgeworth, that only made him more curious. Knowing Phoenix, he wasn't the type to keep secrets. Edgeworth felt that something was definitely wrong.

"Miles, _please don't touch me_. Just--_please_."

Both of them remained silent for several moments, both afraid of angering the other.

The silence was broken when Phoenix finally stood up, and headed fast for the door. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave--"

"Wait, Wright!" Edgeworth stood up and ran towards Phoenix grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. "Don't leave. Let's talk about this."

"No--" Phoenix tried yanking his arm off of Edgeworth's grasp, but as he tried to pull his arm away from Edgeworth, his sleeve was pulled upwards, revealing many lesions on his forearm.

"Miles, I have AIDS."

Edgeworth's eyes widened. "Wright, please tell me this is some sort of cruel joke."

Phoenix remained silent, his eyes brimming with tears. Ironically, it was his turn to grasp his right arm with his left hand, biting his lips with his face evidently pained as he looked aside trying to avoid Edgeworth's gaze.

Knowing Phoenix to be a truthful man years after working with him in court, Edgeworth never questioned Phoenix's credibility before. But perhaps Phoenix had changed over the years and was no longer the honest man Edgeworth knew. It had all been clear to Edgeworth now. The reason why Phoenix had been distancing himself lately is because he had been sleeping with another man. Edgeworth felt dizzy, desperately trying from the depths of his mind to deny it. When that didn't work due to the apparent evidence he had in front of him, he ardently wished it was all a bad dream, but the pain in his heart kept telling him otherwise.

"Who is it?"

Phoenix didn't answer.

"There's somebody else, isn't it?" Edgeworth tried to keep his voice steady for his ego's sake, but it was to no avail, as his words came out barely more than a frail mutter.

Phoenix stood frozen for a few moments. Then, clenching his knuckles, forced his eyes shut, and nodded. His nods were reluctant at first, but as seconds passed, they became more fervent.

Ironic, Edgeworth thought, that they had to end their relationship just as he was ready to take their relationship further. It took the patience of an angel to keep Edgeworth from punching Phonix right then and there.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, NOW! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Edgeworth yelled, trembling intensely in anger. When Phoenix ran for the door, he concentrated on nothing but the floor and tried to block out the thoughts in his mind. With his flooded eyes, he could barely make out the blurred image of a piece of shining silver on the floor.

Slamming the door hard behind him and leaning against the door, Phoenix thought, as those tears finally began streaming down his eyes like a river, that it was better for Edgeworth to think that he was cheating on him instead of knowing the actual truth.

He knows it'll be easier for Edgeworth to get over his death if he died while Edgeworth had not love but hatred in his heart.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been almost a week since Edgeworth and Phoenix have talked to each other. Edgeworth decided to bury himself in tremendous piles of work to keep himself from thinking about what happened between him and Phoenix. However, no matter how much work he tried to bury himself in, his thoughts always returned to Phoenix. The loud patter on the window as if the sky lamented eternal tears of despair did him no better.

Edgeworth couldn't accept the fact that Phoenix would choose a man other than him. _Wright, how could you do this to me?_ It was so uncharacteristic of Wright, for he knew him as the man who would seek the truth and justice above everything. And by the way Phoenix acted towards him it was as if he was really in love with him. All the kisses they shared seemed all too genuine that he couldn't believe Phoenix was merely pretending. Edgeworth would have been totally convinced it wasn't true, until he had seen Phoenix's assent with his own eyes. The image of Phoenix nodding remained embedded in his mind like a video being played over and over again. Phoenix's kisses once tasted so sweet, but now it left no more than a bitter taste on his lips.

Suddenly, a knock was heard from the door, startling Edgeworth out of his reverie. _Wright?_ Despite his anger, his heart skipped a beat with the hopes that it would be Phoenix coming in from that door. He looked down dejectedly when he saw that it was only Detective Gumshoe.

_What does_ he _want now?_ "Come later, Detective. I'm busy." The sight of the incompetent detective did nothing to make him feel better.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir, I was wondering—"

Usually, the Detective was probably here to talk about another case he'd somewhat totally screwed up investigating, to provide details for cases, or to ask a dumb question or two. "It can wait later, Detective." There was a slight hint of irritation in Edgeworth's voice. "Now, I would appreciate it if you—"

"But sir, it's really impo—"

"I have no time for your useless antics, _Detective_!"

Edgeworth realized he probably came off a little too harsh when he saw the Detective flinch.

Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose to suppress the oncoming headache and drew a sigh to calm himself down. "Detective Gumshoe," Edgeworth repeated, but this time in a more subdued manner. "as you can see I am terribly busy." He looked down at his paper again and started scribbling something. "Now, please…"

A clear, unlabeled evidence bag was placed on top of whatever Edgeworth was working on, stopping him in his tracks. The evidence bag contained what seemed to be a tiny white plastic syringe, which was empty.

Edgeworth crossed his arms and stared at Gumshoe with a raised eyebrow. "What's this about, Detective?"

"Sir, I swore to Mr. Wright that I would keep this a secret, but I guess I should probably tell you now."

Edgeworth's eyes widened upon hearing Phoenix's name. _What does Phoenix have to do with this?_ He only felt more puzzled than ever.

"A few years ago, Mr. Wright was attacked on his way home from work. He told me that someone injected him some sort of poison with that syringe which he found lying beside him on that day."

Edgeworth remembered that day, although vaguely. He remembered that Phoenix was ill that day, but due to his work, Edgeworth was away from him most of the time. Edgeworth remembered telling Phoenix that he wouldn't miss his work for Phoenix, or for anything in the world—besides, it's not as if Phoenix was bordering between life and death. At Phoenix's behest, Edgeworth took Phoenix to the doctor, who also said Phoenix's injuries weren't enough cause to warrant an alarm, so he thought he was fine. _I should have paid more attention to Wright--!_

Edgeworth felt like his heart was about to shrivel when he remembered that he sometimes rasped at Phoenix whenever Phoenix bothered him that day he was sick. _Wright, I-I'm so sorry! I pushed you away…_

"I guess he didn't want to give you any more trouble than he did, so one day he approached me and asked me to find out who attacked him."

"_Well?_ Did you find anything?" The impatience was palpable in Edgeworth's voice.

Gumshoe looked down the floor, quietly shaking his head. "There weren't any fingerprints found on the syringe, Mr. Edgeworth. There weren't any traces of DNA either, other than Mr. Wright's."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner!"

"I-It was a promise to Mr. Wright! A-and it happened a long time ago, so I thought it wasn't too serious, since Mr. Wright seemed to have given up on it. But, I noticed you and Mr. Wright were in very bad terms lately, so I talked to Maya…"

Within the blink of an eye both Edgeworth and the parcel were gone out of the office. Edgeworth was in such a hurry that he didn't even bother to take his umbrella, which tumbled into view under Edgeworth's desk in his haste.

With Edgeworth gone, Gumshoe was left looking at an empty space on the floor, his face marked with concentration as his eyes followed the lines on the wooden floor, tinged with a bit of sadness. The sight of seeing Edgeworth's hopelessly miserable expression lately was heartbreaking to Gumshoe. He wanted to beat himself up for being incompetent.

_If only I had sooner figured out what was wrong…this wouldn't have happened!_

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
